


2 a.m.

by Traviosita9124



Series: Hour by Hour [8]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 07:32:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9591947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Traviosita9124/pseuds/Traviosita9124
Summary: “But, tha’s bizarre, righ’? Like, why would she do tha’?”Fitz smashed his reload button to no avail. His controller buzzed in his hands as his avatar died in a spray of blood. He sighed and reached for his can of Red Bull, knocking his headset askance even as he drained majority of the can in a single long pull. Setting it to the side again, he adjusted his headset, rolled his shoulders, and waited to see where he’d respawn.“No clue, Turbo.” Mack’s voice crackled through his headphones. “Girls are weird like that.”





	

“But, tha’s bizarre, righ’? Like, why would she do tha’?”

 

Fitz smashed his reload button to no avail. His controller buzzed in his hands as his avatar died in a spray of blood. He sighed and reached for his can of Red Bull, knocking his headset askance even as he drained majority of the can in a single long pull. Setting it to the side again, he adjusted his headset, rolled his shoulders, and waited to see where he’d respawn. 

 

“ _ No clue, Turbo. _ ” Mack’s voice crackled through his headphones. “ _ Girls are weird like that. _ ”

 

Respawned, Fitz began to maneuver his way through the bombed-out landscape. His eyes were on his radar, keeping track of both Mack and the opposing team, but his mind was a million miles away. 

 

“Y’ should see how she looks during tutorin’ hours-”

 

“ _ I know how she looks, man. She wears the same uniform every day. All the girls do. _ ”

 

“No’ like tha’,” Fitz grumbled, rolling his eyes even as he crept up behind two of their opponents and took them out. “I… She’s wearin’ th’ uniform, yeah, bu’ i’s different somehow.”

 

Mack chuckled, and Fitz could hear hear him tapping on his own controller. There was an explosion in the distance on his screen just as his friend gave an excited shout. 

 

“ _ What do you mean ‘different’? _ ”

 

“Well,” Fitz sighed, trying to split is focus without costing them the match. “She jus’  _ looks  _ a’ me.”

 

“ _ Jemma Simmons looks at you? _ ”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“ _ Turbo, last I checked, that isn’t unusual behavior. _ ”

 

“No, bu’, like, she  _ looks  _ a’ me.” Fitz struggled for words and gave a frustrated groan as he died yet again. “Like, th’ kind of look Yo-yo throws your way righ’ before y’ disappear durin’ lunch.”

 

“ _ Oh, _ ” Mack chuckled, “ _ I know that look. That’s a good look. _ ”

 

“Yeah, ‘m aware.” Fitz rolled his eyes and smashed away at his controller, trying to get back to the position he’d held before he’d wandered onto an enemy mine. His mind drifted to the last time he’d seen Jemma Friday afternoon. She’d pulled her chair right up next to his in the library and had leaned into him just so… “I’s even better when y’ can see righ’ down her blouse.”

 

“ _ Uh, Fitz- _ ”

 

There was an awkward pause as Fitz’ words sank in. 

 

“Holy hell, ‘m sorry, Mack-”

 

“ _ It’s okay, Fitz, really. _ ”

 

Fitz shook his head and tried to refocus on the game, his shoulders hunched as he leaned closer to the screen. 

 

“She keeps textin’ me, too.”

 

“ _ Jemma texts you? _ ”

 

“Yeah, she does.” Fitz looked over at his mobile. It hadn’t buzzed for hours, but the last ten messages in his log were all from her. All for silly reasons, but she kept texting him. That had to be something, right? “She texts t’ ask about homework, or remin’ me about things I need t’ bring for our latest projec’.”

 

“ _ Sounds innocent to me, man. I’m not sure I’d read too much into it. _ ”

 

“Bu’ she always texts firs’. Tha’ has t’ mean somethin’.”

 

They played in silence for a few more minutes, each quietly racking up their kill counts. The enemy number had dwindled to one location on the radar, and Fitz and Mack closed in on them without speaking. 

 

“ _ Maybe it does, Fitz, or maybe she just wants to keep her spot as number one in the class. _ ”

 

“Y’ dinnae know her, Mack. I’s Jemma… Jemma is jus’- Oi! Bloody hell!” 

 

Fitz watched helplessly as he died once more, and he threw his controller down in frustration. He hated this feeling, his mind torn between what he wanted to concentrate on in the moment and images of Jemma sitting across from him in the library running through his brain. 

 

“ _ You know, Turbo, I’ve never seen you this messed up over a girl. _ ”

 

Fitz grunted in response. The late hour had suddenly caught up to him, and he wasn’t in the mood to explain what, exactly, Jemma Simmons meant to him. How it had hurt to have all those hours he’d spent with her wiped out so suddenly by her father’s meddling. Fitz wasn’t sure what he’d ever done to upset the man, but he’d never forgiven him for taking Jemma away, either. 

 

“I jus’... she’s Jemma, Mack. There’s history there.”

 

Fitz heard his friend hum in understanding. He could practically see him nod as he spoke. 

 

“ _ I know, Turbo. I know there’s history. Just don’t let history keep you from moving on. _ ”

 

“Wha’, y’ think I should jus’ forge’ it?” Fitz scoffed. 

 

“ _ Not at all. But you’re not yourself. You either need to go for it, damn her father and that bastard Will Daniels both, or you need to make your peace with it and let her go. For good. _ ”

 

Mack was making sense. Fitz hated when he did that. There was a part of him that wondered if he wouldn’t be better off just giving up on the idea of having Jemma in his life, either as a friend or a girlfriend. It wasn’t as if she’d fought to keep him in her life after all. But… She was involving herself now. His eyes fell on his mobile once again. 

 

Jemma had asked for his number. Jemma kept texting him first. Jemma kept seeking him out. Jemma was the one who sat too close in the library when they were supposed to be tutoring, leaning into him and giving him inadvertent (and entirely welcome) glances down her blouse. 

 

“You’re probably righ’.”

 

“I know I am.” Fitz usually would have bristled at a declaration like that, but Mack’s tone was warm, making it easier for him to accept his friend’s advice. “Look, Turbo, it’s nearly 3. Go get some sleep. Everything will look better in the morning.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re righ’,” Fitz agreed, blowing out his held breath. “I’ll talk t’ you tomorrow. I have t’ work a’ the diner in th’ afternoon, but I migh’ be able t’ get some gamin’ in durin’ the afternoon.”

 

“Sounds good, man. G’night.”

 

The conversation went dead, and Fitz went about shutting down his console before he stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed. He eased down against the pillows, enjoying the coolness of the sheets against his skin. Despite the hour, sleep was elusive, and he found himself reaching for his mobile. Without even thinking about it, Fitz found himself thumbing his way into text messages. He opened the thread between him and Jemma and reread the last few missives. 

 

There was no way he was imaging it. She was asking about school, yes, but there was something coquettish there, too. Fitz knew he wasn’t imagining that. He set his mobile to the side and turned to the side, pulling the covers up around his shoulders as he did so. One thought echoed around his mind as he drifted off. 

 

Giving up on him and Jemma wasn’t an option. 


End file.
